Ice Prince
by FeastofDeath
Summary: Yes, the guardians have heard of him. With hair as white as snow, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as blue as the sky: he was the legendary 'Ice Prince' put to sleep by Old Man Winter 300 years ago. And now Man in the Moon wants the guardians to simply go and wake him up? Wait… why?
1. Old Man Winter

**Title: **Ice Prince

**Settings: **Somewhere in the coldest part of the South Pole, a castle made of ice and snow hidden by blizzards and snow storms.

**Summary: **Yes, the guardians have heard of him. With hair as white as snow, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as blue as the sky: he was the legendary Ice Prince put to sleep by Old Man Winter 300 years ago. And now MiM wants the guardians to simply go and wake him up? Wait… why?

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**_Ice_ Prince**

_Leaving the place of sun and moon, of ice and snow..._

**Jessica Day George**

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**Chapter 1 "Old Man Winter"**

_Black stood out against the pristine white in alarm. Tendrils of something dark, of something _evil_ crept up in the cold palace as it slowly surrounded the quiet place of seclusion. The howling winds, usually so noisy in this time of the year were mournfully quiet, the animals that live near the castle of strength were nowhere to be found._

_The atmosphere was eerie and silent, the coldness was bone-chilling and unnatural, which was something to say in the castle made of ice and snow._

_Old Man Winter was hurrying about the hallways. He looked old, so so _old_ but regal as well. His hair was light black with streaks of grey, lips unnaturally blue but it looked fitting with his pale white skin. He had a robe around his shoulders covering impressive blue and silver robes that shined when the moon's light reached it, signifying his status in the natural order. In his hand, with delicate frosts spread out intricately in its wood, was an old shepherd's staff that radiated power._

_Known as the King of Ice and Snow amongst the spirit, the old man did not only reign over all that was cold, he was also the leader among the seasonal spirits under Mother Nature. Despite being the harbinger of coldness, Winter was surprisingly warm, charismatic, and he was loved by all who knew him._

"_Please let him be alright…" Winter prayed as he hastened his steps, the speed creating thicker trails of frost in his wake. His brilliant blue eyes, which had been dulling through the years, were narrowed and sharp, as he took a turn and stopped in front of ice made doors._

_A silent gasp echoed throughout the expanse of the hallway as Winter looked up at the dark tendrils decorating the light blue hue. If he hadn't known this door for years, he would have thought that the black was a part of design, curling at the edge and spreading out of the door's hinges._

_But he knew that the black _should not_ and _could not_ be here!_

_Slamming the staff on the floor in panic, frosts spread about the floor when the old but powerful object made contact. A harsh wind with snow and ice pushed towards the door in response to the old man's panic, and as though it was something merely made out of weak plastic, the door was thrown out of its hinges and into the room before him._

"_Oh my, look who's impatient?"_

"_Pitch." The name came out as a hiss from his lips while he growled lowly at the dark man before him. He sounded like one of the arctic wolves he had known and cared for near the castle. He sounded cold and menacing._

"_Ah, old friend! How nice to see you have not lost that feral look on your face. It always warms my heart to see you so agitated." He sighed as he ran long fingers through his dark robes._

"_What, are you doing here? You are not welcomed in my palace!" Winter said as he brandished his staff threateningly at the boogeyman before him._

"_Oh? I must have missed the sign that ban me from ever coming to this place." Pitchiner shrugged as he looked about the white walls. "Nice place by the way, although I think it needs a bit more darkness to set off the mood."_

"_Stop changing the subject!" There was a gust of strong wind but Pitch smiled when he felt the hesitance behind the power. "Tell me what you are doing in _this_ specific room."_

_The dark-haired man smirked as he glided towards the King who stepped back in caution. "Well, you know how fast word spreads in our world. I heard something interesting… Something about _you_ 'adopting' a son."_

_Winter froze as he saw Pitch vanish before him. He felt a presence not far and he knew the dark spirit had reappeared behind him, on his shadow._

"_And he's not just any winter sprite, oh no. I heard that he is known as the 'Ice Prince'. A winter spirit with powers that can rival your own! _Turned _by the man in the moon himself! Now, isn't that interesting?"_

_Winter shivered but it wasn't from the cold. He could feel long fingers on the back of his head, taunting him, his worst fears coming true. Pitch didn't come to the palace for him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_But I'm sure you do."_

_There was suddenly a muffled scream and Winter turned sharply, just as Pitch vanished behind him. Blue eyes widened however, when they met with wide and vibrant electric blue eyes. A figure of a teen registered in his mind. The boy was at least ten feet from him. The teen who was barely in his eighteens was being strangled by the dark tendrils he had seen on the door._

_Winter's eyes widened._

_Pitch came into the palace for Jack._

"_Jack." Winter called out as he saw blue eyes widen in panic as the tendrils slowly suffocated him. "Jack!"_

"JACK!" Old Man Winter stood up from his throne in panic. Dull blue eyes were looking around wildly as he felt his heart slowing down when his eyes found nothing. He sighed tiredly as he sat back down on his throne, running a withered hand across his hair.

His face was old. Older than the one in his memory. Ever since that fateful encounter with the boogeyman, the once powerful King of Snow and Ice had been plagued by nightmares. His hair, which used to be black, was completely white now, emphasizing the old and worn out look on his face.

Three hundred years of nightmares, three hundred years of being alone in his big but empty castle. Winter was already at his limit. Already he could feel his power slowly draining from him along with his life force.

"Jack…" He whispered and his eyes shifted from the spot on the floor to a coffin made of ice and glass not far.

Standing up, the old man gripped his staff with shaking hands as he leaned against it. The once vibrant glowing of his most powerful weapon had also dwindled down to signify how powerless he was getting.

Taking small steps, Winter made his way to the coffin.

Wind blew lightly into the castle, ruffling the white-haired old man's hair in silent comfort as he stopped and looked down into the person lying in the cold container.

A young face of a boy greeted his sight.

The boy was in his eighteens and was encased in a glass coffin, surrounded by winter flowers which have yet to wither in three hundred years of solitude from the outside world. He had hair as white as fresh snow, lips as blue as Winter's, and skin as pale as the moon in a dark, but starry night.

And Winter knew, that if the boy could- or would- open his eyes, he would see the most vibrant blue.

Placing a shaking hand onto the cold surface, Winter closed his eyes tiredly. "I do not have much time left." His eyes opened as he looked out of the window and right at the moon. "I have been suffering in silence for the past three hundred years, always alone. I think the time for me to leave is at hand."

The light from the moon began to shine brighter at what he said, but it was a sad light that washed over his old features.

"I may be immortal, my friend, but my powers are not endless. I can no longer keep my Jack asleep. Not for long anyway. And when I have vanished along with my powers, Jack will awaken. But who will protect him from Pitch? Who can save him?" Winter said in a long and tired sigh.

The moonlight became brighter and for a moment, Winter shared a silent conversation with Manny who whispered in his thoughts.

"Aye, the guardians." Winter shook his head as his blue eyes became distant. "Oh I remember those four, they are indeed good people. Will you entrust my Jack to them?"

There was silence but Winter seemed to take that as a 'yes'. "Very well. I will trust my Jack's safety into your hands Manny. I will entrust my Jack to _them _as well."

Another silence in the air, but it was clear the moon was conversing with him, inquiring about him, albeit silently.

"I can last until tomorrow morning. It's best to send them here as soon as possible." Suddenly a dark shadow appeared at the corner of his eyes. Winter swiftly pointed his staff at the dark shadow as something blue erupted from it and hit the moving shadow.

A whine of pain echoed throughout the chambers.

Winter panted lightly as he clutched his staff closer to him, his hands were shaking badly now and his eyes were duller, taking on a milky blue hue. "O-Only until tomorrow."

And that's when the moon said no more.

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**Notes: **Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Well, either way, I wanna hear your thoughts! So I thought of this while I was on my way to the bathroom. I was thinking about my drabbles, one of the chapter I was going to write was called 'Ice Prince' and I was like, 'oh, that can be an AU' and the summary for this just came to me.

Oh and yes, there was a part where Pitch called Winter an old friend and the old man didn't dispute it. I wonder why?

So yes, thoughts please? Is it a good enough story? I know some of you might have thought of Old Winter as a villain and I was originally planning on that but I decided that a fatherly Winter is what Jack needs, not more enemies.

Okay, so, until next time?


	2. The Guardians

**Title: **Ice Prince

**Settings: **North Pole, Santa's Workshop.

**Summary: **Yes, the guardians have heard of him. With hair as white as snow, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as blue as the sky: he was the legendary Ice Prince put to sleep by Old Man Winter 300 years ago. And now MiM wants the guardians to simply go and wake him up? Wait… why?

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**_Ice_ Prince**

_Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice._- **Robert Frost**

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**Chapter 2 "The Guardians"**

The moon was bright that night.

Granted the moon was always bright, but tonight it seemed _brighter_.

And Sandy Mansnoozie knew that when the moon was too bright in one particular night, then something big was about to happen.

Something that would change everyone's life.

However, Sandy's hunch was almost immediately confirmed when bright auroras- paths of colors, spread out across the sky like his dream sand, curving and forming white and sometimes new colors yet to be discovered- alerted him that _now _was not the time to wander idly, staring at the sky and wondering why _the moon was so bright_.

Spreading his dream sand in a hurry, not even making them shift to the usual forms of dinosaurs and dolphins and every other dream children were having, the guardian of Dreams was off. He immediately flew off in a plane of his own creation, wondering what was going to happen and what had happened that made Nicholas St. North send out the vibrant colors all throughout the world.

Looking at the moon and at the brightness one more time, Sandy zipped through the clouds in a hurry eager to meet with comrades he had not seen in for a millennia.

True, the meeting may be one of urgency rather than a friendly call for dinner, but the Sandman was always grateful for chances to meet with three old friends whom he had had shared many adventures with.

Little did he know of the plans the moon held for these four friends and of how soon they will no longer be _four_ but, rather, _five_.

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"A new guardian?" A high-pitched tone that could only belong to one well-known fairy echoed from the Globe room as Sandy finally arrived and was escorted to the meeting place by none other than North's favorite yeti, Phil.

"Not now Tooth. Sandy and Bunny have yet-" North began to pacify the queen but he stopped when he saw Sandy wave at him happily from the door. "Ah! Sandman! Old friend, welcome!" He said with arms wide as he went to the golden man, as though to hug him.

Sandy, used to affections from the Russian, let him do so before he was put down a few seconds later to give way to the urgent meeting that required their presence. Bunnymund had arrived during the few seconds he and North were getting acquainted.

"This better be good, mate. My googies ain't gonna get themselves done…" The Easter Bunny said as he walked forward and joined his three companions in the balcony to look up at the moon.

"Dah, of course 'tis important! Man in the Moon called the meeting! He says he has somethin' important to tell us!" North said to the rabbit who grumbled a bit at the reason.

Sandy looked at North questioningly, making signs of the four of them and then a plus one, an indistinct person joining their ranks. Blue eyes twinkled at the sand pictures and North nodded.

"Yes, yes Sandy! You must've heard from Tooth! New guardian is joining us soon!" North bellowed as he laughed cheerfully. Bunny, the only one who did not know about this, looked at them gapping.

"New guardian? How did this come up?" The Easter Bunny asked as he looked at the moon then back at North.

"Ah, well you know of Manny's old friend, yes? Winter Frost?" North asked as he turned to the guardians.

"Old Man Winter?" Bunny asked, his ears twitching.

"Father Frost?" Tooth asked, she hadn't heard that he was involved as well.

"Yes, yes, him…" North said waving his hand casually. Sandy tilted his head, still not able to understand.

"Is he gonna be the new guardian then?" Bunny huffed at the thought of a _complete opposite _(Spring and Life, Winter and Death)of him, taking the guardian position.

Toothe pouted, feeling slightly disappointed at the other's question. "But he's _old_." She sighed as did the few mini fairies behind her. When she saw the three guardians looking at her in surprise, she smiled, slightly abashed. "Sorry, when you said _new_ I immediately thought of someone younger! I mean it'd be nice to get a child-like guardian right?" She said excitedly.

Bunny huffed, "Not if we're going to babysit him all the time, sheila."

North shook his head at Bunny. Tooth's wish for a younger guardian wasn't unheard of. They were, after all, the guardians of Childhood Wonder, Memories, Dreams, and Hope.

"No. Worry not Tooth. Father Frost is not the new guardian, right Manny?" North looked up at the moon. Man in the moon said nothing but the guardians took it as a confirmation to Santa's earlier statement. Sandy was looking at the moon almost suspiciously.

"But since you all know who Winter is…" North's eyes went to Sandy who nodded in confirmation. "Then you must know of his son, yes?"

And almost immediately there was an explosion of statements and pictures. Tooth and Bunny were trying to get their own statements into the conversation, while Sandy made several sand forms depicting his questions.

"-bloke's been frozen for three hundred years-"

"His teeth! Oh my Moon, his teeth-!"

"-troublemaker, rumor says…"

"Frozen? Bad parenting led to this-"

"Yes, yes he looks eighteen… No Bunny, he did not cause the Titanic, boy has been sleeping for three hundred years remember? Yes-No, Tooth you cannot stick your fingers in his mouth when you see him. Bunny, would you rather it was the groundhog-?"

Sandy looked at his comrades frustrated. He had been flashing picture after picture asking if old man Winter was alright, or if his son had woken up which led to this sudden guardianship, but as always, none of his allies had seen him, too busy talking amongst themselves.

Annoyed, the guardian of Dreams grabbed an elf who was sneaking about, looking for cookies. He shook the elf with the pointed bell hat and finally, _finally_ gathered everyone's attention at the sudden jingle of bells.

"Yes, yes? What is it Sandy?" North asked the oldest of the guardians.

The Sandman took a deep breath before flashing the pictures of his questions again. First he flashed an image of old man Winter and a question mark, next was a picture of a boy waking up, smiling, and waving before being followed by a question mark.

"Ah, you are asking if Father Frost is alright?" North said and Sandy nodded. The old Santa looked up at the moon. "The moon would not say. He just say to get new guardian."

"Is tha' all he said?" Bunny said incredulous. "That's even less details that I expected, mate!"

"Oh, oh! I don't mind! I want to see this son of his! I wonder if his teeth are as white as freshly fallen snow!" Tooth sighed dreamily and Bunny rolled his eyes at that.

"And Sandy's second question, you wonder if boy is awake?" North asked, his blue eyes trained at golden ones. Sandy nodded eagerly. "I do not think he is. If he is, I would feel it in my belly!"

Bunnymund rolled his eyes while Tooth giggled at the proclamation.

"But we will find out more now." North looked at the sky. "Manny, tell us! Would you wish us to bring back Frost's son and make him a guardian?"

The moon shone brighter among the guardians and Tooth squealed, happy at the confirmation.

Aster snorted. "Great, a winter elemental. Couldn't have given us a spring spirit or somethin'?" The moon shone on Aster alone and the Pooka sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. Are ya even sure Old Man Winter would like us takin' away his ankle bitah? I mean, he froze the lad for three hundred years and stayed with him. I dunno with ya' but tha' old man strikes me as one fussy mate."

The moon glowed brighter, this time with more urgency and the guardians could see uncertainty cloud the rabbit man's face. "What?"

The moon's light rays spread across the guardians, momentarily blinding each as images- clipped and bright- entered their minds and probed at their inner thoughts.

_A man, an old man with surprising but dull blue eyes were looking at them sadly. The hand on his staff was withered and shaking, it looked like he was keeping a grip of it only from sheer will power._

_A coffin made of glass was glittering, refracting beautiful light rays from the moon. They could get only a glimpse of snow white hair and a peaceful face before both coffin and person was swallowed by darkness. They could hear a distant shout from one of them at what happened._

_The last image was of the old man with blue eyes. He was in front of the coffin, shepherd's staff in hand and raised above his old form. One hand was gripped on the coffin behind him and the staff in his hand was shining brightly, driving the shadows away._

_But the guardians watched in horror as the blue light grew more and more feeble. The old man fell unto his knees and yet he refused to let go of the fragile coffin behind him. Suddenly, the four childhood protectors met dull blue eyes, pleading with them silently as he was devoured by darkness._

_Please, _please_._

_Save him, save my son._

_Save my Jack Frost_.

And just like that, the scene was gone.

Tooth stumbled back when the vision ended. North had dropped to his knees and Bunny looked shaken as though he had just ridden the sleigh. Sandy was the only one properly upright and he was looking at the moon with urgency, as though they were having a silent conversation only they could hear.

"W-We must hurry…" North panted as he stood up. His blue eyes were sharp with resolve as he gripped his sides, where his swords, his weapons were. "To Ice Palace we must go quickly! An old friend is in danger! And a child! A child being taken in by darkness!"

"It could only be Pitch." Tooth said a frown on her beautiful features. "When I get there, I doubt I'll have enough quarters for all the damage I'm gonna do to him and his teeth!"

"Bloody right." Bunny said angrily when he finally got himself straightened up.

Sandy nodded as he finally looked away from the moon and bumped his fist on an open palm.

"We go! To the sleigh!" Santa called as he turned to leave and Bunny winced before he hopped after his friend followed by Tooth and Sandman.

_We go by many names, and take many forms._

_We bring wonder and hope._

_We bring joy and dreams._

_We are the Sandman and the Toothfairy._

_We are the Easter Bunny and Santa._

_And our powers are greater than you can ever imagine._

_It is our job to protect the children of the world._

_It does not matter whether these children are human… or are seasonal spirits._

_Only one thing is clear for us, one thing we abide…_

_And that is: no matter who the child is or was…_

…We_ will guard him with our _lives_._

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**Notes: **Chapter Two is up and done! Thank you for the support, although I was a bit surprised by the sudden reviews when I got home.

I find it interesting that Old Man Winter is also known as Father Frost in the Legends. Makes it easier to portray the Father and Son bond between him and Jack. Technically in some legends they are the same people in others, they are different people. So Father Frost's full name here is: Winter Frost.

So, what about North (says my sister)? well, I have something planned for that, Watch out for it though.

So for all your support, thank you again! In chapter three, Jack will wake, and I know many of you are looking forward to that alone. Sorry I had to dedicate a whole chapter on the guardians' conversation with Manny but I hope it was worth it in the end.

So any questions so far? I'm sorry if I missed anything, my sis' is telling me to hurry so yeah!

Until next time!


	3. The Ice Prince

******Title: **Ice Prince

**Time Setting: **Three hundred years ago, before Winter Frost met Jack.

**Summary: **Yes, the guardians have heard of him. With hair as white as snow, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as blue as the sky: he was the legendary Ice Prince put to sleep by Old Man Winter 300 years ago. And now MiM wants the guardians to simply go and wake him up? Wait… why?

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_**Ice**_** Prince****  
**_Beauty, like ice, our footing does betray; Who can tread sure on the smooth, slippery way: Pleased with the surface, we glide swiftly on, And see the dangers that we cannot shun. _**John Dryden  
**

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**Chapter 3 "The Ice Prince"**

It was around the _Dark Ages, _some time roughly around the 13th century when Winter Frost, the famed king of Ice and Cold found Jack.

Back then Jack was just _Jack_, no last name, no memories, no nothing. He had just been gallivanting around Rome, watching people suffer and grow old. He was lonely and confused like many of their kind, like many of the cold winter elementals.

But Jack was the youngest of them all.

It was clear from the way he stumbled when he landed after flying, the way he accidentally frosted his own feet together, the way that he spoke in wonder and confusion, that he was _new_ to their world. New to his power, new to the concept of being _invisible_ to almost everyone…

And it was this _newness_, this _naivety_ and _youth_, that drew Winter to the young elemental. As the personification of the harshest season, he was supposed to be cold, unfeeling, _indifferent_, but he felt _drawn _to this lonely child who looked like he was ready to break when people passed through him.

He was drawn towards the childlike innocence.

And then, wide blue eyes suddenly turned to him as he approached.

They had stared at each other for a few seconds. Winter was looking at the skinny form beneath the worn brown clothes the child was wearing, while Jack just simply _stared _at him.

Jack stared at him like he was seeing the sun rise from the hills for the first time, blinded and in awe. And Winter stared back at those clear blue eyes in confusion.

And then, and _then_… Jack ran up to him and _hugged_ him.

_Hugged_ him! _Him_! The King of all that was cold! Of suffering, of death, of silence!

He _hugged_ him and clung like he was afraid to let go. Like he wanted Winter to be there, like he wanted- _needed_ the frost that began to form on his skin as he hugged the creator of blizzards and hail storms. He hugged _Winter Frost_, bringer of depression and cruelty, the personification of all that was cold and harsh…

He hugged him, and Winter… Winter…

Winter _felt _warm.

He felt warm and needed and _loved_…

And for the first time, the coldness of solidarity, of power, could _not_ reach him in the arms of this small and frail child.

And Winter felt the seed of _light_ being planted in his stone cold heart. He _felt_ it and he liked it. He felt the cold remains of his heart, _melting_…

And for that, Winter hugged Jack back.

That was probably when it had started. When Winter had started looking at humanity differently. He had changed when he had met Jack. He had become a better person, a better spirit, a better _king_ when Jack let go of him and smiled like Winter meant the whole world.

And when you had someone caring for you, someone who _loved_ you… You were determined to give them a reason to do so. You wanted to become the best person for the one who _believed_ and _loved_ you. And Winter became that person.

He no longer brought forth miserable blizzards, no longer threatened with harsh hail storms… He brought snowballs and fun times, he laughed as he spread snow, white beautiful blankets of snow unto barren lands, making them seem like a view out of a painting. Instead of snow being something to fear, it became something to _love_. And the Dark Ages had ended, had finally, _finally _ended…

And it was all thanks to one special boy.

"What _do you think_ you're doing?" A dark, velvet, and _angry_ tone came from the shadows. Winter calmly turned to face the inevitable, his old friend, his _only _friend Pitch Black, the infamous boogeyman.

"Pitch." Winter said dismissively. The Dark Lord had come forth to his palace of ice. Thank goodness Jack had gone out to spread more winter cheer. He didn't want the other to meet Pitch. He knew Pitch's opinion of children. Pitch thinks that every single child should only dream of nightmares.

"I _thought_ we had an agreement." It was a soft but angry hiss. "You'd bring the world to its knees with your harsh _cold_! But what's happening _Winter_? Why are the people out there _enjoying_ your creations? They should be fearful of _you_, of _me_! Of _us_!"

Old Man Frost thoughtfully stroked his black beard, his heart warmed at the thought of people loving his creation. It made him feel like his existence meant something to the world, that he wasn't just an old man in a myth told by parents to scare the children.

"Hm, I am not sure old friend. Maybe it is because I have a change of heart. Maybe I do not want to bring death and coldness upon people anymore." Winter stated and he smiled at the dark creature who recoiled at the sight of his happiness. Pitch looked like he had been slapped.

The Nightmare King regained himself however and his body shook as two nightmares formed at his side, taking the form of horses with red eyes. Winter's blue eyes narrowed as he slammed his staff onto the icy floors.

Wind blew from the floor and threw back Pitch, making him stumble as his nightmares were incased in ice. The boogeyman let out a distressed and angry shout as he glared at the King of Ice with all the hatred he could muster.

"Cold and dark, Winter! You _swore_ you were with me on this! What goes better than _cold_ and _dark_?" Pitch insisted, golden eyes narrowing and Winter stiffened at the betrayal in the other's tone. "We were going to rule the world together! The guardians at their rightful places! Beneath us! Groveling, begging! We were so close! The Dark Ages was the perfect time! We can still do this! Create a world where everything is-"

"Pitch Black?" Winter said with a raised eyebrow and Pitch hesitated before he held himself high.

"And Winter Frost too." Pitch said smoothly, covering his hesitation perfectly.

But the old man was not fooled. He shook his head, raising his staff and pointing it at his old comrade. "I do not wish for such a world anymore Pitch." Pitch's eyes flickered in surprise before fury overcame his features. Seeing this, Winter's staff glowed blue as the king readied himself to face the King of Nightmares. "So, it is best if you leave _now_ before you do something you regret, Pitch."

Pitch stood there for a moment, looking at the shepherd's staff pointed at him. He was weighing his chances. Right now he was in front of the King of Winter, the infamous staff pointing right at him, ready to strike whenever he moved, he was also in the territory of his _old friend_ and seeing his disadvantage, Pitch could guess it wouldn't end pretty well for him.

Recognizing defeat, the boogeyman glowered at the King of Ice before he took a step back towards the shadow. "I will be back, Winter. Do not think I will forget what you have done. I _will _have my revenge."

Sinking into the shadows, Winter watched as his friend was devoured by the darkness and transported elsewhere. The last thing he saw were golden eyes looking at him in calculation, coldness and hate perfectly mixing before being taken in by darkness.

Old Man Winter stared at the dark place, his staff still ready just in case the dark entity came back. However, the old king was suddenly started when the huge doors at the end of the hall opened, followed by a strong wind.

The sound of tinkling laugh and a whoop of joy, made the King relax back into his throne as he smiled at the white-haired winter spirit that came in.

"Hey there, old man!" Jack laughed happily as he gracefully rode the winds towards the throne sculpted from ice. Winter laughed as he snapped his fingers. The wind holding Jack up let go and the boy fell onto the floor in front of him with a pained groan.

"Hey that's not fair!" Jack said as he gave an angry frown at the king who laughed merrily.

"It's not my fault that the Wind likes me more than you." Winter said, blue eyes twinkling fondly and Jack crossed his arms in annoyance.

"It's only because you're the _king._" Jack said in an annoyed voice. "I bet if I was some sort of prince, the wind would like _me_ more."

Winter's eyes widened at what Jack said and the implications he thought of behind those words. The young winter sprite was oblivious however at what hidden meaning his words said.

Tapping his fingers onto the throne uncertainly, Winter cleared his throat. "And would _you_ like it if you became a _prince_?"

Jack looked up in surprise and confusion. "What?"

Winter sighed but smiled kindly. "I asked, that if you were given a _chance_, would you accept the role of being a prince? Would you _like_ it?"

Electric blue eyes looked at Winter, not knowing what the old man was going at, but he nodded a bit, trying a nonchalant air to the way he spoke. "Sure. I wouldn't mind. I mean, I _bet_ I'd rock all my _princely_ duties." Jack said smugly with a small laugh. The old king's blue eyes lit up.

Winter tried hard to hide his excitement as he voiced his next words. "Then there _is_ a way."

Jack blinked, taken aback. "There is?" When Winter nodded, the teen leaned forward, blue eyes animated and sparkling, "How?"

Winter only hesitated for a second before he said in a clear tone that echoed throughout the cold chambers, "Become my son."

Silence.

Blue eyes were impossibly huge now, as Jack said in a breathless voice. "W-What?"

Winter hesitated, but his grip on his staff was firm as he looked at Jack in all seriousness. "Become my son." And when Jack said nothing for several seconds, the old king added tiredly, "I-If you'd like."

There was a few minutes of silence, and Winter grew more uncertain as he thought of taking back what he said, or else laugh it off as a joke, but suddenly the old man was tackled into a surprising hug from the young teen.

Winter could hear the laugh echoing throughout the chamber, and unable to help himself, he let out a booming laugh as well, feeling relieved at the way Jack took his question.

"M-My father…" Jack said as he breathed in deeply and let go of the king. "You want to be my father? Y-You know, like f-family? With _me_ as your son?"

And as uncertain blue eyes gazed into his, Winter's resolve strengthened as he nodded with a smile. Electric blue eyes lightened impossibly and Winter felt happiness course through his old heart when Jack smiled at him brightly, just like the first time when Jack realized that _someone_ could see him.

"Then my name… Will I be known as Jack Frost, now?" The teen asked, laughing and Winter nodded, affectionately ruffling the snow white hair.

"Of course. You also get a cape and better clothes." The old man said as he referred to the old things Jack was wearing.

Jack laughed again. "And a crown as well?"

Winter nodded getting into the other's spirit. "It's mandatory for all royals." Jack laughed louder as he floated into the air.

"I'll look forward to it then!" Jack said as he started to fly towards the delicate ice windows. Winter looked at the leaving teen in confusion.

"Wait, Jack where are you going?" Winter asked in worry.

Jack gave the old man an exasperated look. "We've become father and son for like a few minutes, and already you're a worrywart." He said as he rolled his eyes. "I'll just be out for a bit! I'm so happy I feel like I might explode! I want to go spread some snow at Greenland or something!"

Nodding in understanding, Winter gave Jack a strict look. "Be back as soon as you can. I'll have your clothes ready and no detours."

Jack rolled his eyes again. And he bowed sarcastically as he said in a formal tone. "Yes, father." And the old king felt a rush of warmth at the last word. Jack gave the old man a happy and gentle smile before he waved and flew out of the palace.

Winter watched the sprite become a speck in the sky before he sat back down on his throne, feeling strangely content and happy. He waved his staff and wolves made of ice formed before him. "Send for the best clothes you can find. Talk to Yuki-onna about it. Also, spread the word of a banquet for tomorrow, I wish to formally welcome Jack into our world."

When these words were said, the ice wolves bowed before rushing out into the coldness to deliver their message and follow their orders.

The old king waved his staff one more time with one hand held out. A bright blue light shone and a circlet made of clear ice appeared on his hand. The old king smiled as he touched the tip of his staff onto the head of the vine-like woven ice circlet, and a beautiful and intricate snowflake formed the designs of the cleverly sculpted ice.

When it was finished, the old king held the beautiful object up into the path of light coming from the window. A beautiful array of colors reflected from it.

"A prince…" Winter breathed out happily, blue eyes twinkling kindly. "My son, Jack Frost…"

…_The Ice Prince._

* * *

**Notes: **I know I said, Jack would wake up, _well _I decided I wanted to show everyone how Jack and Old Man Winter met first, I hope this is okay. I was in a hurry so I had to rush things. I might edit it later tonight because my sister is forcing me to hurry, appearing every few seconds! Jeez! *Ehem* Anyway, thank you for the support (it surprised me, how many people liked this story), so please continue to support this story. And also please review if it isn't a hassle. Thanks again everyone!


	4. Jack Frost

**Title:** Ice Prince

**Settings:** Somewhere in the coldest part of the South Pole, a castle made of ice and snow hidden by blizzards and snow storms.

**Summary:** Yes, the guardians have heard of him. With hair as white as snow, skin as pale as the moon, eyes as blue as the sky: he was the legendary Ice Prince put to sleep by Old Man Winter 300 years ago. And now MiM wants the guardians to simply go and wake him up? Wait… why?

* * *

**Ice Prince**

_Ice burns, and it is hard to the warm-skinned to distinguish one  
sensation, fire, from the other, frost."  
__**A.S. Byatt**_

* * *

**Chapter 4 "Jack Frost"**

It was a horrible sight.

The beautiful, grand palace made of ice and snow was swarmed with dark sand, tainting it from the inside and out. No longer did the tall structure shine with power and stood for all that was light in the world. It looked sick and twisted and just… just _wrong_.

Pure white mixed with tainted black… Although it would've looked beautiful what with the crystals gleaming and the sand glittering maliciously, the image made Bunnymund shudder.

How could something so beautiful and white look _so _tainted?

"Bunny, focus!" North's voice disrupted the pooka's thought and Bunnymund was pulled back into the situation at hand. The moment North's sleigh went through the portal, several nightmares had been ready to ambush them, expecting the back-up Manny had provided for the solitary Ice King.

White and black, blue and gray clashed in the air as several winter spirits and sprites tried to fight back against the unwelcomed army of Pitch's. They fought valiantly against the mindless creatures, striking and freezing as many as they could. But Bunny knew these seasonal spirits could only last so long.

"We should've come earlier!" Tooth cried out somewhere from behind the pooka as she rushed off to fend away a nightmare heading for an unknowing winter fae who was fighting off two others.

Bunny grunted as he took out several of his boomerangs, aiming them perfectly at other oncoming nightmares in their way, leaving North free to head to the palace with less obstacles. Sandy was in the middle of the battle, high above anyone else, his golden sand spread across several directions trying to overcome the darkness of what once used to be sweet dreams.

North, meanwhile, was doing a good job of multi-tasking. One hand was waving around his precious sharp Russian swords as he tried to deflect any oncoming nightmares that got in his way, while his other hand was doing an impressive job of steering eight reindeers towards the glass windows of the Ice palace.

But of course, you could only do so much with one hand, and with Bunny too busy trying to drive away flocks of nightmares from the sleigh, North looked at the sturdy glass windows of the ice palace being tainted by black sand that glinted back mischievously at him.

"Sandy!" North shouted as he impressively swatted away another nightmare horse that tried to bite off his hat. The oldest guardian turned at the call of the jolly santa and seeing the other's distress at crashing on a wall made of black sand, Sandy sent a wave of pure golden sand to collide with the wall and break away the dark compound leaving a gaping hole and opening to the Ice palace.

Bunny gulped and braced himself when he saw North reigning in the reindeers as they landed roughly into a grand room made of ice and glass. The Easter Bunny, who was not so fond of heights, grabbed on the sleigh's edge, digging his nails in as he closed his eyes at the harsh impact.

"WHOA!" North called out to the reindeers as he tried to control them from crashing headfirst into another wall made of ice. He yelped however when the sleigh bumped into a large iceberg obstruction, no doubt, caused by the sudden destruction of the wall Sandy broke. Bunny let out a loud shout as he ducked down in fright.

"North! Bunny! Are you alright?" Bunny heard Tooth's buzzing wings as she entered the large gaping hole that led to the grand bedroom. The sounds of fighting were dying away outside and Bunny relaxed as the sled slowly stopped.

"Y-Yeah, we're fine Sheila. How about ya'? Not injured in any way?" Bunny grimaced as he immediately hopped off the train wreck that was North's sleigh.

The tooth fairy ruffled her feathers as she shook her head. "I'm fine, a bit cold but I can manage."

At the mention of the cold, the Easter rabbit's teeth chattered as he thumped his foot on the ground in nervousness. "Bloody hell it's freezing! Don't they know what _warmth_ is around here?"

North straightened up as he dusted off the snow on his clothes and looked at Bunny with a raised eyebrow. "You are strange my friend. You do know that they are 'winter' spirits for a reason, yes?"

Bunny grumbled at the other guardian as he crossed his arms. "There is still such a thing as _too cold_, ya gumby."

North was distracted from replying when suddenly a flash of gold entered their vision. Sandy appeared in front of them, mutely asking if they were all alright.

"Yes, yes we are fine Sandy! We are robust and manly and do not break easily!" North said with booming laughter as he thumped Bunny on the back. The pooka choked. "And you? Are you not needed outside by winter faes and sprites?"

Sandy shook his head, showing images that the nightmares had all gone and the faes and sprites were tending to their own injuries.

Tooth fluttered about nervously. "Do they need some help? We could-!"

Sandy shook his head again, showing more pictures and North nodded along.

"Sandy is right. Winter folks are very contained and aloof. They do not like nor seek outside help. It is better if we leave them be for now." North stated as he turned to the large doors that led deeper into the castle. "We have more important things to do right now."

The others nodded as they followed the guardian of Wonder. Bunny steeled himself to the door, trying to forget about the uncomfortable temperature of the room.

However, the four guardians barely took three steps when suddenly the hallways of snow exploded rapidly with sounds and sudden falling debris. North's eyes widened as he grabbed Tooth out of harm's way while Bunny jumped and Sandy caught the huge chunk of ice with his sand.

Golden sand expanded around white as the sandman threw the debris to the other side, collapsing another wall with the impact.

Flashed of blue and black could be seen somewhere down the hallways and North knew that _somehow_ Old Man Winter was still fighting against Pitch.

"We should help!" Tooth said as she helped North to the side while narrowing her amethyst eyes to try and see through the smoke the ice seemed to be emitting from the cold temperature.

"Crikey! As much as I'd like to agree with ya', sheila… There' ain't nothing we can do!" Bunny took cover as another explosion of black and blue shook the halls. North let out a distressed sound as he tried to enter the battle fray but was unable to because of the power the two men where exhibiting not far. They still weren't able to see a hair of Pitch or Old Man Winter but they assumed that it could only be them what with the strong outburst of power shaking the castle itself.

"Since we cannot help Winter, we search for boy." North finally said when he failed to enter the battle again. "Boy of ice is our first priority. He is a child and we protect children."

Tooth turned her gaze towards North and although she looked uncertain she nodded.

"But he could be anywhere! Worse! He could be in the middle of that battle! If we can't get in between those two, we can't go an' protect the kid!" Bunny said as he waved his boomerangs around in frustration.

North let out a thoughtful sound. "You are right Bunny. Sandy, what should we do? Sandy? Sandy?" The three guardians looked around when no sight of gold dust met their eyes.

"Sandy?" Tooth called out worried. At the corner of her eyes she suddenly caught sight of a golden hand waving. She turned abruptly and saw that Sandy had slipped through the newly made hole he created with the iceberg earlier. "North, Bunny… Sandy's over there. I think… I think he wants us to follow him."

Bunny and North looked at the sandman who peeked from the cracked wall and nodded as he pointed urgently into the room he was in before disappearing again. Shrugging at the Easter Bunny who looked confused, the two guardians followed Tooth who led the way to the room.

E. Aster Bunnymund shivered as they stepped into the room that seemed colder than the rest of the castle. "Bloody hell! What is up with this coldness? I mean, how can it get any _colder _than this? I can't even feel my feet anymore!"

"Bunny, shhh!" Tooth scolded as she placed a hand on the furry shoulder while her amethyst eyes turned to Sandy who stood in the middle of the room. The room was so cold that the whole room emitted a smoky coldness that would usually be seen only on top of a very tall mountain.

"Sandy…" North said slowly at the guardian of Dreams who had his back turned to them. "What is that?"

There, in the middle of the room laid something eerily similar to a glass coffin. The smoke was coming from that strange rectangle container made of ice, as though it was the one emitting the coldness in the room, as though it was the one that enveloped the whole room in unimaginable coldness.

"I-Is tha'…?" Bunny began his mouth opening wide as he began to realize what the coffin _was_, or more like _who_ was in it.

Sandy turned to them slowly, a small answering nod was sent into their direction before he turned to the coffin once more. Tooth let out a startled gasp as she fluttered closer to the container.

"Schostokovitch…" North muttered in surprise as he let his swords down while walking forward as though in a trance. Bunny followed suit, also drawn towards the strange glass container in the middle of the room.

Sandy hovered over the glass. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the frosted glass and he reached out a hand to wipe it away.

Although they were expecting it, three gasps still resounded behind Sandy as a pale face of a sleeping teen met their sights.

He was just as rumors said: hair as white and pure as snow, and skin as pale as the moon in a dark night sky… The young prince put to sleep by Old Man Winter three centuries ago…

_Jack Frost._

"Jack Frost." North mumbled out loud. Tooth gasped again as she placed a hand on the glass surface, quickly wiping away the frost starting to form again.

"Has he really been sleeping for three hundred years?" Tooth said quietly as her amethyst eyes surveyed the strong jaw, the carefully blank expression. Her eyes lingered at the beautiful ice circlet around his head, signifying his status as a _prince_.

"Crikey, _three hundred years_…" Bunny said his ears flopping a bit. "That's a long time to take a snooze."

Sandy shook his head, images of sand flashing on top of his head as he tried to tell them that there was a _reason_ why Jack was asleep. Why he had to be here in a glass coffin, alone with no dreams, hovering between consciousness and illusions…

However, before Sandy could finish this thought, a strong explosion shook the castle harder than before and before the guardians knew what was happening, the walls around them exploded and a flash of black and blue suddenly flashed before them, clashing and striking out at each other, trying to get the other side to give up.

The guardians had barely enough time to duck as a black nightmare headed towards them and towards the coffin.

Tooth let out a strangled scream as the glass coffin made of ice merged with black, and North's eyes widened in horror when he saw wisps of darkness curling against the edge of the ice and then sticking onto pale skin, slowly tainting the person inside.

Sandy's eyes widened before his eyes shone in determination, his golden sand curling towards the black nightmare sand, holding it back, stopping it in its tracks. Bunny lifted up a boomerang and began pounding on the glass coffin, slowly breaking it, trying desperately to get the person out before Sandy lost hold on the darkness seeping in.

"Come on… Come on!" Bunny gritted his teeth as he tried to break the ice. North snapped out of his shock as he rushed forward to help Bunny with his swords. Tooth tried to keep watch on their backs as she monitored the dangerous exchange between Father Frost and Pitch Black. Neither had noticed where they were and who was with them.

Tooth's eyes widened however when a blast of blue suddenly shot towards Bunny and North. "LOOK OUT!" She cried as she pushed North away and Bunny stumbled back as the blue made contact with the coffin, getting caught in the explosion.

Sandy's sand protected North and Tooth as the black sand was thrown away by the explosion.

Bunny fell back onto the floor with a groan of pain. Something heavy landed on top of the pooka as the rabbit tried to sit up to see if his companions were alright. However, he found himself frozen when an unimaginable cold ran through his veins.

Green eyes looked down at the impossibly lean and fragile figure on top of him. A figure so pale and so cold, it was almost like a corpse. Placing his furry arms around the teen, Aster lifted the young winter sprite up into a more comfortable position. He looked up and saw Sandy, Tooth, and North looking at the person Aster had before him in awe… Because in Bunny's arms was none other than the Ice Prince…

_Jack Frost_.

* * *

**Notes: **Sorry it took so long, and I know Jack still didn't wake up here. But soon, I swear to you that soon he shall be awakening!

I was really enjoying updating _Ice Cubes _that I lost track on my other stories for awhile! That and the fact that my birthday and exams are coming up has my head in a whirl. We had like two term papers to pass and now there's one more and technically I'm going crazy here from the pressure!

Anyway, back to the story! I hope you enjoy the update, I'll try to update as soon as possible so please be patient! Thanks and please review again if it isn't too much trouble!


	5. The Darkness, the Silence, and the Cold

**Read: **Well, there is no excuse for my very late update other than lack of inspiration. Right now I'm looking for a proper picture for Jack's outfit. If anyone can help me out with that, it'd be great. :D

**Settings: **Still in the Ice Palace, a fierce battle between the King of Nightmares and the King of Winter has commenced.

**Title: **The title of chapter 5 refers to Jack's companions in his three hundred years of sleep.

* * *

_**Ice Prince**_

Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold.  
**Andre Maurois**

* * *

**Chapter 5 "The Darkness, the Silence, and the Cold"**

_It was dark and it was cold. There was nothing around him, just an empty black space. It had been like this for a long, _long_ time. And he didn't know if he could take it anymore._

_Sometimes though, he would hear something now and then. A sweeping of robes, a soft rapping against something fragile like glass, soft footfalls and…_

_Crying?_

_Was someone crying?_

"_I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jack, my son."_

_Jack? Was that his name? Is that what he was called?_

_It's been so long, so _so _long. He's been trapped in this place forever and he hardly remembered anything before the darkness, the silence, the cold._

_Then the crying started again, more agonizing than before. It sounded painful, and cold, and sad, and lonely. And Jack- if that was his name- wanted to reach out to it, to call…_

_But he couldn't escape the place he was in. He was trapped. So instead he sat in the darkness, in the nothingness, in the coldness, listening to the old whispery voice apologizing to him again and again, calling out to him again and again._

_And Jack didn't- couldn't understand _why.

_Why was the strange creature sorry? Did he know this person who called him son? Why wasn't he helping Jack get out of wherever he was?_

_Jack couldn't tell time in the strange place he was in. He couldn't tell if it was day or night, he was only aware of the never changing darkness and coldness surrounding him. If anything did change, it was that the darkness seemed to become darker and more oppressing around him. And the voice calling out to him, talking to him, weeping seemed to grow weaker and more muffled and Jack began to worry._

_His heart was in pain, although he didn't know why. The voice was leaving him now. The darkness was biting into his skin, trying to get to him, to drag him into an even lonelier place than this void of nothingness. But the cold was protecting him, keeping the darkness at bay and him protected. But everyday the darkness grew stronger and the cold could only do so much._

_Finally, one day, the voice that whispered and cried for him for over a thousand times finally _stopped.

_And Jack, to his horror, found himself truly alone for the first time._

* * *

"Crikey! He's as cold as ice!" Bunny yelped when frost began to cover his fur. He was tempted to let go of the prince of Winter but the child looked so helpless and fragile that the pooka grudgingly held him tighter as though afraid that he might break.

The boy in his arms really did suit the title 'Ice Prince'. If not for the white hair and pale skin, then for the clothes he wore that clearly signified his royalty.

The Winter Prince wore a white dress shirt with an equally white buttoned-up long-sleeved tail coat with blue linings and frost patterns and silver fastenings designing the front. He also wore a pair of tight white pants with blue frost patterns on the sides and silver chains on the pockets. His flat boots were stark white as well with blue laces. He had a hooded cape with fur on the hood around his shoulders, and on his head, looking extremely brittle and fragile, was an ice circlet with a blue gem stone in the middle to signify his princely status.

"Oh. He's so precious." A buzzing of the wings alerted the giant rabbit to the sudden presence of his fellow guardians who had rushed to his side. He looked up to see Tooth looking at Jack with searching amethyst eyes, her fingers itching to reach out and pry the closed mouth open.

However, before things could get awkward, North was suddenly there, placing a hand on the fairy queen's shoulders. "Tooth, not now. You can coddle boy later. For now we have to get _mal'chik_ to safe place!"

Sandy bobbed his head rapidly as he pointed to a broken portion of the ice palace wall, big enough for them to go through and hide in the next room.

"Good idea Sandy!" North said with an approving nod, the old Santa turned to Bunnymund who was shaking lightly at the cold emanated by the boy and from the ice palace itself. "Bunny, give boy to me. You seem like you cannot handle anymore coldness, no?"

Grumbling, but grateful, Aster deposited the surprisingly light boy into North's burly arms. "I'll lead the way and see that it's safe." Bunny said as his ears tipped forward and his nose twitched to catch a scent of any nearby lurking nightmare.

"Lead the way then old friend!" North said as he carefully jostled the young prince to a proper position. Bunny nodded and hopped forward swiftly, carefully keeping an eye out for any stray enemy. Tooth followed with Santa behind them, and Sandy brought up the rear, his sand whips aloft ready for anything unexpected.

No one noticed the pair of golden eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

_It hurt! It hurt!_

_The dark was seeping into him, curling against his skin, and Jack wanted to scream but couldn't… wanted to cry but didn't know how to._

_Someone was tapping at his glass, a muffled voice he never heard before chiding as Jack slowly heard something crack. Suddenly there were more tapping noises and the cracking sound in Jack's ears grew louder._

_But the darkness continued to seep in, but then suddenly darkness wasn't the only thing inside. Something golden was trying to keep the blackness at bay, and it was soothing him as well, as though it knew he was in pain._

'_Hold on.' It was a whispery voice that came from the sands itself and Jack stiffened as he felt the sands overtaking the darkness, stopping it, taking it away…_

_But then suddenly there was a scream and a flash of blue._

_Both the black and golden sands exploded out of sight and Jack was engulfed once more into the protective embrace of the coldness that was his companion in this void of nothingness._

_And as suddenly as the blue light came to disperse the darkness, it vanished and suddenly… suddenly…_

_There was warmth._

_When before there was only darkness and cold and a hard but smooth surface keeping him aloft, now there was an opposite and totally new sensation presented to him._

_It was _soft_ and _warm _and Jack could literally feel life thrumming under his fingers, a faint warmth stirring in his chest reminding him a feeling he once felt so long ago, a feeling he had long forgotten and he could not pinpoint._

_And then that warmth and softness was suddenly encompassing him, holding him up, and he felt the strange creature against him shiver and Jack knew it was because he was cold. He pursed his lips, the warmth was becoming uncomfortable now, unnatural to someone like him who was in the companion of the cold for a very long time, but Jack did not have to worry long when another pair of arms took him._

"_Bu-" A new muffled voice, sounding strange in Jack's ears, thick with an accent. "-to me." The arms were colder than the creature holding him before. "-cannot handle anymore-?" It was still soft and warmer than him, but more bearable in a way. Being in this new creature's arms alerted to Jack to anew aura._

_Like the other that held him and literally exhaled life and warmth in his touch, this person also exhaled a certain warmth albeit more different and more contained that the one before. The creature before made Jack feel like he was on fire, but this person made Jack feel like he was buzzing in the warmth. Not as cold as he liked, but still pleasant._

_And then suddenly he was being jostled. A strange sensation of movement made him crinkle his eyebrows in confusion._

_Were these strange creatures taking him somewhere? What of the darkness and the cold that had been around him for a long time? Where were they? And that whispery voice that had gone silent, was he alright? Was he still crying somewhere?_

_Jack wanted to move, to struggle and open his eyes, but his body laid lax against the arms of the one carrying him._

_For now, it seemed, he was stuck like this. Numb and unmoving like always._

_But Jack find that he did not mind at all. As long as these strange and warm creatures stayed close then Jack didn't mind being a helpless bundle of burden._

_After all, he was no longer alone._

* * *

BAM! THUD!

Tooth winced as she covered her ears from the loud explosions going on behind them. Bunny growled as his sensitive ears rang from the noise pollution going on around them, hopping swiftly away from the battle grounds on.

Sandy flew beside Tooth, golden eyes alert as they looked around while North worried himself over the light bundle in his arms.

"Is it natural for him to be so _pale_?" Father Christmas asked as he kept up with the three other legends around him. "And is he even breathing? Bunny, you sure he is alive, yes?"

"Of course I'm sure mate! I'm the guardian of Hope and Life. His pulse is faint but I can hear it. And of course he's pale! He's the Winter prince! He has to look his part!" Bunny called out behind him.

"He is so small and so light…" North said as he jumped over a fallen debris. Sandy flew closer to Santa and nodded his head as he also watched Jack, unconscious in North's arms. "Is this child really new guardian? Perhaps Manny has chosen wrong? Made a mistake?"

"Exactly what I said, mate!" Bunny called out again. "I mean he's the _Prince of Winter_! Technically the prince of everything that's mischievous and sneaky! What we need is a responsible guardian! And look at him! Nothing more than an ankle-biter!"

"He may look like a child, but he is three hundred years old! Give him a break, Bunny!" Tooth huffed and the Easter pooka rolled his eyes.

"Oh come off it, sheila. You just wanna see his teeth that's all."

"Hey that's-!"

But then the two were distracted from their conversation when Sandy waved a golden flag in forn of their faces, telling them to be quiet. Tooth flushed in embarrassment while Bunny snorted.

"Sorry Sandy."

"Sorry, mate."

Satisfied, Sandy huffed as he spread the dream sand around them, going through the shadows to make sure that no nightmare was hiding among them.

Bunny finally slowed down as he slowly reached a dead end. Behind him, Tooth and the others stopped as well, looking around to make sure that they were safe.

"So? What're we gonna do now? Take the kid to the sleigh and make a run for it?" Bunny asked coolly, not even panting from the exert of energy.

"But…" Tooth said as she fluttered about. She could still distantly hear the sounds of war. "What about Old Man Winter?"

"Da, we cannot leave our old friend." North agreed gravely.

"Well, we aren't much help really." Bunny said as he tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. "Can barely get in there to help him against Pitch."

"Then, what do we do?" Tooth asked fluttering restlessly. "We can't get Jack involved in this."

"I do not know." North sighed and he turned to the guardian of Dreams. "Sandy, what do you think?"

The old star turned abruptly, momentarily distracted when all of the guardians attention turned to him, however this distraction was enough for a certain minion of darkness.

A dark horse made of nightmare sand suddenly bounded out off a collapsed pillar and towards the bundle in North's arms.

The guardians barely had any time to react before, said nightmare successfully grabbed a certain ice prince by the cloak and away from the guardians of childhood.

"OI!"

"JACK!"

"_Proklyat'ye_!"

Sandy extended his whips of sand but the nightmare neatly avoided it as it galloped towards its master, not far.

"We have no time to waste!" North said as he began to run after the dark horse. "Hurry! We must get to boy before Pitch!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, mate!" Bunny said as he let of all inhibitions and ran as fast as he could towards the minion of darkness. Tooth was buzzing behind him and Sandy had formed a jet plane with his sand to catch up with his comrades.

* * *

**Notes: **Now to update my other fics. Just to warn you I like updating 'Ice Cubes' the most.


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